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Creamy chicken broccoli salad is a delish bomb and a dose of healthiness. This salad recipe is nutritious and the secret sauce will blow your mind.

This is a must-try salad that perfectly fits on festive tables as well. Although it implies a little effort and dedication to have it prepared, every second spent is justified. Later on, the satisfaction received with every bite from the perfectly balanced tastes will payback. On top of it, this salad has a beautiful aspect that does nothing else than inviting to devour it.

Ingredients for the creamy chicken broccoli salad

Chicken is the first ingredient to look for, more exactly, chicken breast. However, this salad is about very soft meat, therefore, chicken shall be marinated in yogurt. The acidity of the yogurt and the seasoning with salt and pepper tenders the hard by nature meat. Therefore, add the yogurt on the shopping list for this salad. It can be any natural yogurt, no matter the fat percentage.

Another basic ingredient of this amazing salad is the broccoli. This crunchy green deliciousness opens up the taste and gives such an inviting aspect to the combination. I especially adore broccoli for this being a healthy ingredient that combines terrifically well to other vegetables and meat.

Moving forward to the tomatoes. Here you can choose any tomato kind you like most. I usually prefer the cherry, but, I had a few black tomatoes in the fridge, so I used them for the salad. Also as you might already know, black tomatoes are very juicy and sweet. Therefore, use them with confidence.

A must part of this exquisite salad is the mixed salad leaves. I always chose the salad mix containing arugula. I find arugula perfectly matching the cherries and the meat. Make sure the leaves are fresh and crunchy. You need that to freshen up the composition.

Now you’ll need mayo and soy sauce. These two will create a super delicious sauce for the salad. Trust me, you’ll use this combo for other salads and people at your table will be asking for more. Regular soy sauce, not too salty, and regular mayo will do just fine for our recipe.

How to marinate the chicken breast for the salad?

As I have previously said, the chicken breast comes marinated in yogurt for at least 30 minutes to get more fragile meat. For that, you need the one chicken breast, one can of plain yogurt, salt, and pepper.

Rinse the meat under cold water. Remove excess water with a paper towel. Take a well-sharpened knife and cut the breast into two parts vertically, then again in two parts horizontally. You shall get four big pieces of medium-thin meat slices.

Take a bowl and mix the yogurt with the seasoning. Put in the bowl the slices of meat. Make sure they are fully covered by the yogurt. Cover the bowl with a piece of cling film and let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. If you have time to leave it for longer, that’s even better.

How to cook broccoli for the salad?

Broccoli shall be cooked separately. For that, fill a pan with water, salt it and put it to boil. In the meantime, rinse the broccoli and cut the florets free beneath the flower canopy. Cut the florets into smaller pieces if you prefer them smaller.

When the water is boiling, put the broccoli florets into the pan. Turn the stove to low heat. You may even cover the pan with a lid. Let the broccoli florets simmer for 3-5 minutes. If the florets are smaller, 3 minutes are enough for it to be perfectly cooked.

In the meantime, take a large bowl and fill it with ice-cold water. You can even drop in some ice cubes. When the time expires, take our broccoli and immediately transfer it to the bowl with cold water. By rapid change in temperature, the vegetable preserves its beautiful vivid green color and crunchiness. Let the florets in the water for a couple of minutes, then drain it.

How to cook the yogurt-marinated chicken beasts?

Now it’s time to get to the meat. Preheat a frying pan, or, you can use a grill pan. When it is well-heated add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken breast. Yes, fry the meat slices without taking off the yogurt. The stove shall be on medium heat, and the frying pan shall be uncovered. This way the liquid evaporates while the meat gets cooked. It will take about 5 minutes on one side and 5 minutes on the other side of each chicken breast to be well cooked yet soft and juicy.

When the meat is ready, cut it into thinner slices, or leave it like that. Do whatever you feel is best.

How to prepare the may-soy hot dressing for the salad?

For this part, you will need a saucepan. Pour in 300g of mayo and set the pan on the stove on medium-low heat. Then, slowly pour the soy sauce into the almost boiling mayo. The trick is to always stir the mayo while pouring the soy sauce. When you’re done adding the 150ml of soy sauce, take a tiny sip of the sauce and check on the taste. If you think it is too think, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. If you’re ok with the outcome, turn off the stove.

Now, put the fried/grilled chicken breast slices to soak in this hot dressing. Mix well then add the broccoli and the tomatoes cut in big pieces. Let everything soak in the delicious sauce.

How to serve the salad?

How it’s time to assemble this deliciousness in one big plate or plateau.

Make the first layer with the mixed salad leaves. Then take the saucepan with the soaked in the hot dipping meat, broccoli, and tomatoes and start placing everything on top of the green bed. Spread everything evenly. If there is some remaining sauce, pour it all over the meat and veggies. Enjoy!